Sidekick Squad Series

The Sidekick Squad is a young adult science fiction series set in a world after a catastrophic solar flare sparked the beginning of a series of worldwide natural disasters and political upheaval, but also catalyzed a latent gene present in humans that would present itself in the form of extraordinary abilities.

A hundred years later, in the North American Collective, the Heroes’ League of Heroes captivates the hearts and hopes of citizens everywhere, but all is not as it seems…

BOOK ONE: NOT YOUR SIDEKICK

Meet Jess Tran, who really wants to live up to her superhero parents’ expectations, but doesn’t seem to have any powers of her own. When she takes an internship with tech firm Monroe Industries, she has a chance to prove herself and also work with her crush, Abby, but soon they uncover a plot that’s bigger than heroes and villains altogether.

BOOK TWO: NOT YOUR VILLAIN

Bells thought he had it made when his superpowers manifested early. Being a shapeshifter is awesome, but now that Bells is the country’s most-wanted villain, they’re going to have to find the Resistance to set things right…

BOOK THREE: NOT YOUR BACKUP

Emma’s ready to lead the fledgling Resistance, but without powers, many people aren’t taking her seriously. It’s up to her to prove where her place is in this fight…

BOOK FOUR: (Title To Be Announced)

Not Your Villain shows just how meaningful superheroes (and supervillains) can still be. C.B. Lee has invented a world where the greatest power comes from friendship, love and becoming your truest self, and it’s the heroic story we need right now.

The Sidekick Squad are back and better than ever in Not Your Villain… There’s nothing quite like the found-family narrative, nor the team up against a corrupt government, and the unrelenting optimism and power of a group of largely queer-identifying teens.

The universe that Lee created in Not Your Sidekick is as sharp and effortlessly detailed as ever…. They do what they can to save the world, without ever aspiring to be a savior, learning that true heroism comes through working together.

Lee offers up a fast-paced, engaging tale set in a quasi-dystopian 22nd-century America where the line between hero and villain is often blurred. With a diverse cast of characters, both in terms of sexuality and ethnic background, and a wholly adorable romance for Jess, it’s a lively exploration of morality in a superpowered age.

Not Your Sidekick is a smooth read with characters who hit the
likeable zone between being overly self-involved and unrealistically altruistic….A large part of the story deals with her expectations about what it means to be ordinary and what it means to be extraordinary. This is a theme that will speak strongly to the current
generation.

Lee crams a lot of themes into a small package here, including LGBTQ relationships, a dystopian society, realizing your heroes have flaws, the importance of family and more… Jess and Abby are delightful characters and superhero fans like this reviewer will especially enjoy Lee’s take on how superpowers work. I’m ready for the sequel!

C.B. Lee’s utterly charming Sidekick Squad series has it all—swoony romance, thought-provoking deconstructions of superhero tropes, and the cutest robots ever. But best of all are her very human, very relatable characters—vibrant personalities you just can’t help but root for as they make their way in the world. If you’re a fan of superheroes, thoughtful sci-fi, and/or general awesomeness, you need these books in your life.

This is a light romp of a middle grade adventure/romance, but the real strength is in its matter-of-fact representation of LGBTQ and first-generation American identities. While the meanings of these identities are explored, they are not the focus of the book and are
simply part of the character- and world-building. Coming out has already happened, friendships based on immigrant identity are complicated, and there are many primary and secondary characters who fall into these categories so that no single character has to
stand for everyone.

‘The Best Superheroes Right Now Aren’t on Screens. They’re inBooks’… Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee is a coming-of-age tale about
Jessica Tran, the powerless daughter of two superheroes who gets
a job at a tech company—and discovers that the world of heroes
and villains is more complicated than she realized.